1. Calculate Natural Defects of Wood
Natural wood defects have the form of knots. Knots are patterns of wood grain that form small circles. As much as possible the number of knots should be minimized because there is a high risk of cracking or breaking at any time. Defects like this are actually not always found in every teak log. But in reality, the number of teak wood that has knots is very large. That’s why you can’t possibly avoid teak wood furniture without any teak wood unless you order it specifically. Grade A furniture has at most 5 knots on a wide surface, 2 knots on a medium surface, and 0 tolerances on a narrow wood surface.
2. Pay Attention to the Wood Grain Pattern
Remember that high-quality teak comes from old teak trees. The older the teak tree, the better the quality of the teak it produces. This is because old teak wood has a very stable cross-section. We even dare to say that old teak wood is very difficult to break, warp, shrink, or crack. Old teak wood can be identified by its dense arrangement of fiber patterns. The wood fibers are actually layers of cambium that develop every year.
3. Observe Furniture Construction Details
What’s the point of good teak if the furniture is not done well? So you also need to check the construction of the furniture, in this case, the strength of the structure and the neatness/craft of the workmanship. As a buyer, you must be critical of all items of interest. Don’t ever hesitate to shake, fold, and pay attention to every detail of the furniture you want to buy. Pay more attention to the connection parts, table tops, chair legs, and cabinet doors because these parts require very good handling in processing. Avoid buying teak wood furniture that has even a slight crack.
4. Check the Width of the Connection Board
From the connection of the boards, you can find out the quality level of teak furniture. If you find furniture that is composed of board connections that are wide enough, it means that the raw material used is wood with a large diameter. This means that the source of the wood is an old teak tree that already has a large diameter. You need to know the width of the connection of teak wood planks for grade A is at least 25 cm, grade B is at least 20 cm, and grade C is at least 15 cm. The point is that the wider the joints of the teak wood planks used, the better the quality.
5. Finishing Quality Value
A good finish is able to produce a smooth, neat, even, and strong appearance. This point is very important to note because no matter how good the design of teak wood furniture is, it means nothing if the finishing layer that adorns it is easily peeled off. Except for classic-style furniture that is hundreds of years old, the peeling of this finishing layer is understandable. We will explain various finishing techniques on wood furniture in the next article.